I have returned from another trip to the central high desert region of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This is a mountainous area. The elevation is roughly 6100 to 6700 feet, from the valley to the high parts of the city. Over the past few years I have been paying close attention to the fruit trees growing in this area, a place that doesn't get much hotter than the low 90's in summer and will briefly freeze in the winter. Folks have planted many types of fruiting plants including: pomegranate, guava, citrus, prickly pear cactus, papaya, passion fruit, loquat, and some figs. There are not that many fig trees here, likely due to the freezes. I have also heard that figs in this area are not a prime fruit - other fruits are more highly favored.
This is the first time that I have been there when figs are ripening and noticed that the "higos" were being sold on the sides of the highway into town. It was important to add this fruit to my list of ones to seek in the markets. The markets here are fabulous, offering a good variety of fruits throughout and at different times of the year (pomegranate, mango, citrus, bananas, pitaya, lychee, cherimoya, papaya, black sapote, coconut, pineapple, avocado, jujube, etc.) I attached a photos of the black figs in the market setting. I also attached a photo of the cross section of the black fig from the local market. I thought that the figs were good - not exceptional and not bad.
The ficus carica (common figs) that I have seen so far and have heard about are black figs. I have no idea what variety they are, but assume they could be Black Mission. I have not had much experience with the Mission fig, therefore can not speak with any authority on it. At the nurseries, they just say they are "black figs," no name provided.
I have attached photos showing the typical way figs are found in nurseries and some of the places where I have found figs growing. Most are grown behind walls in the courtyards, but overall have only seen a few over the years. The tallest tree I have seen is about 13/14 feet tall. Figs growing in the valleys tend to freeze back at this altitude and therefore are not grown very much and don't always make a crop. The figs found in the markets come from lower elevations and are trucked in.
The photo of the "organic market" figs is a bit dark. These figs looked a bit different from the common black ones. (one photo)
The fig tree growing at the hot springs was growing mostly in shade, was about 9 feet tall and 14 feet wide. It was loaded with fruit. (one photo)
There are other fig species growing here which may be of interest and have attached photos of most (the photo file name is descriptive). Ficus microcarpa (Indian Laurel fig) is commonly planted along the streets and is pruned into a neat round shape (two photos). Ficus elastica, the rubber tree, is somewhat common. The trees can get to about 25 feet here with a big spread and an impressive skirt of roots (one photo). Again, it is very impressive to see the familiar "office fig tree" growing into a large tree. I recently discovered a nice sized ficus pumila growing off the side of a house, full of fruit. It was the one dropped fruit that I spotted on the ground that prompted me to find the source! (two photos) I do not have a photo, but have seen ficus benjamina grown as a yard tree. I found one large one that must have been 20 feet tall and am sure they get bigger. It is quite large compared with the familiar potted plant.
Lastly, I included a picture of a prickly pear cactus (opuntia sp.) that was full of fruit. They are called "tuna" and sometimes "figs." The shapes of these fruits do resemble figs.
Enjoy -
Ingevald
